Hit-scoring apparatus and target panel for shooting practice

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a hit-scoring apparatus for shooting practice. It is also directed to a hit-scoring target panel for shooting practice.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a Continuing application of U.S. applicationSer. No. 16/068,100, filed Jul. 3, 2018, which is a U.S. National Phasefiling of co-pending, commonly owned PCT Application No.PCT/US17/013026, filed Jan. 11, 2017, which claims priority from IsraeliPatent Application No. 243602, filed Jan. 13, 2016 all which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hit-scoring apparatus for shootingpractice. It also relates to a hit-scoring target panel for shootingpractice.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,347 discloses a hit-scoring apparatus for shootingpractice, comprising a target holder consisting of a body constitutingthe fixed first jaw and a moveable second jaw of a clamping device, thefirst jaw and the second jaw being electrically insulated from oneanother, and means adapted to produce a relative movement between thefirst jaw and the second jaw. A target panel is clamped between thefirst and second jaws and consists of a plurality of layers including anelectrically conductive first layer and an electrically conductivesecond layer separated and spaced apart from the front layer by at leastone electrically non-conductive layer. When the target panel is clampedbetween the first and second jaws of the target holder, separateelectrical contacts are established between the first layer and thefirst jaw on the one hand, and between the second layer and the secondjaw on the other hand, the first and second jaws being furtherconnectable to a hit-scoring unit.

In order that the second layer makes electrical contact with theelectrically conductive rear jaw, the metallic surface of the secondlayer must initially extend below the lower edge of the target and befolded at its lower edge during manufacture and secured by adhesive tothe rear surface of the target. This can only be done manually and istherefore time-consuming and expensive.

The first layer is subdivided into different areas that are electricallyinsulated from each other and are each connected to a different one ofthe electrical contacts on the first jaw. The second layer provides aunitary conductive surface that is connected to the second jaw, whichmust be electrically conductive. An electronic circuit is mounted insidethe fixed first jaw and detects when the two layers are shorted by abullet. To this end, the electronic circuit must also be electricallyconnected to the conductive second jaw, this being done by a wire.Constant movement of the second jaw may subject the wire to fatigue,causing it to be break eventually and require replacement.

The different areas of the first layer allow the electronic circuit todiscriminate between distinct areas of the target and provide feedbackto the marksman as to where the bullet entered the target. The value ofthis feedback clearly depends on the number of distinct areas that canbe separately isolated in the first layer. In theory, the second layercould also be subdivided into distinctive areas in order to improve theresolution of the discrimination but in practice this would require thatthe second jaw support separate contacts, each of which would then needto be connected to the electronic circuit by a respective wire.

In the target panel disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,347, a discreteconductive area of the target connected to a contact pad in theapparatus that senses the short circuit caused by the bullet definesuniquely where the bullet strikes the target. This requires that thecontact areas be spatially separated: the conductive tracks that routethe contact areas to the contact pads cannot be allowed to cross adifferent contact area. This limits the measurement resolution of such atarget since any given contact area cannot easily be further sub-dividedinto concentric areas owing to the difficulty in routing each sub-areato a separate contact pad. Provided that were sufficient contact padsavailable, it would be possible to sub-divide the contact areas andconnect them by wires to the contact pads. However, this is not reallypractical since it significantly increases the cost of assembly.

It must be borne in mind that target practice is often carried out inhostile environments and the device must be sufficiently robust towithstand manhandling. The use of wires to connect the contacts of themoveable jaw to the second conductive layer of the target militatesagainst the provision of additional channels that would allow betterdiscrimination.

It would clearly be preferable to allow the second layer also to besubdivided in order to increase the resolution of the electroniccircuit, while doing so in a manner that obviate the needs for wireconnections from the moveable jaw to the discrimination circuitry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improvedhit-scoring apparatus for shooting practice that addresses theserequirements.

This object is realized by a hit-scoring apparatus for shooting practiceand a target panel therefor having the features of the respectiveindependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carriedout in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way ofnon-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a target panel according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detail of electrically conductivelayers in the target panel;

FIG. 2a is identical to FIG. 2 but shows the contact areas incomplementary colors for greater clarity;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the two layers of the target panelshowing the principle of discrimination between different bullet paths;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the two layers of the target panelrelating to a truth table that maps pairs of indication signals todifferent areas of the target panel;

FIGS. 5 to 8 are pictorial representations of part of a hit-scoringapparatus for use with the target panel; and

FIG. 9 shows schematically a detail of a circuit for counting hits anddetermining possible areas where the target panel is hit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial cross-section of a target panel 10 according tothe invention having an electrically conductive first layer 11 and anelectrically conductive second layer 12 separated and spaced apart fromthe first layer by at least one electrically non-conductive layer 13formed of standard, double-layer, corrugated cardboard. The first layer11 is directed forward toward the sniper and comprises a thin aluminumfilm, advantageously provided with an anodized or otherwise coloredfront surface of a dark hue which reduces reflectivity and glare withoutimpairing conductivity. The second layer 12 is likewise a thin aluminumfilm, which is glued to the rear surface of the non-conductive layer 13.The outer rear surface of the panel is constituted by a layer ofresin-impregnated paper 14 for reinforcement and waterproofing.

A projectile such a bullet 15 having a metal shell penetrating thetarget panel shorts the two conductive layers 11, 12, thereby completingan electrical circuit, which indicates a hit and also provides anindication of where the target was hit. To this end, the layers aresub-divided into distinct target areas that correspond to respectiveareas of anatomy of the target such as the head, upper torso, heart areaetc. The target areas are electrically insulated from each other andeach is connected to a respective conductive pad at a lower edge of thetarget panel, so that when the target panel is clamped between jaws of ahit-scoring apparatus, the conductive pad makes good electrical contactwith a contact disposed on a jaw in the hit-scoring apparatus.

FIGS. 2 and 2 a are perspective views showing a detail of the layers 11and 12 of the target panel 10. FIG. 2a is the same as FIG. 2 except thatthe contact areas are shown using different colors for greater clarityfor those jurisdictions where it is possible to file colored drawings.In jurisdictions where colored drawings are inadmissible, FIG. 2a willbe converted to greyscale. The first layer 11 has a central circularconductive first area 20 to which there are connected conductive tracks20 a and 20 b that are routed to a contact pad 20 c. Surrounding thefirst area 20 is an annular conductive second area 21, which iselectrically insulated from the first area 20 and to which there areconnected conductive tracks 21 a and 21 b that are routed to a contactpad 21 c. Likewise, surrounding the second area 21 is an annularconductive third area 22, which is electrically insulated from thesecond area 21 and to which there are connected conductive tracks 22 aand 22 b that are routed to a contact pad 22 c. The contact pads 20 c,21 c and 22 c are located toward the lower edge of the layer 11 forabutting respective contacts of the hit scoring apparatus as describedbelow with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 of the drawings.

Thus far, the target panel 10 is functionally identical to thatdescribed in above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,347. However, unlikeU.S. Pat. No. 6,994,347 where the rear target panel has only a singleconductive area that is folded back in order to allow connection to therear jaw, in the target panel 10 according to the invention the secondlayer 12 has multiple conductive areas denoted by 20′, 21′ and 22′.Thus, a central circular conductive first area 20′ is routed viaconductive tracks 21 a′ and 21 b′ to a contact pad 20 c′. Surroundingthe first area 20′ is an annular conductive second area 21′, which iselectrically insulated from the first area 20′ and to which there areconnected conductive tracks 21 a′ and 21 b′ that are routed to a contactpad 21 c′. Likewise, surrounding the second area 21′ is an annularconductive third area 22′, which is electrically insulated from thesecond area 21′ and to which there is connected a conductive track 22 a′that is routed to a contact pad 22 c′. The contact pads 20 c′, 21 c′ and22 c′ are also located toward the lower edge of the layer 12 forabutting respective contacts of the hit scoring apparatus.

The first area 20′ is also routed via a conductive track 20 d′ to aconductive area 20 e′ in a portion of the second layer 12 that isspatially displaced from the central portion 21′. Similarly, the secondarea 21′ is also routed via a conductive track 21 d′ to a conductivearea 21 e′ proximate and partly surrounding the area 20 e′ and the thirdarea 22′ is also routed via a conductive track 22 d′ to a conductivearea 22 e′ proximate and partly surrounding the area 21 e′. In order toallow detection of a bullet penetrating one of the areas 20 e′, 21 e′and 22 e′ in the second layer 12, complementary conductive areas 20 e,21 e and 22 e are provided in overlapping areas of the first layer 11and are routed to respective contact pads 20 c″, 21 c″ and 22 c″ locatedtoward the lower edge of the layer 12 for abutting respective contactsof the hit scoring apparatus. The contact areas 20 e, 21 e and 22 e onthe first layer 11 together with the complementary contacts 20 e′, 21 e′and 22 e′ of the second layer 12 define a generally rectangular portionof the target corresponding to critical anatomical features of thetarget, which when hit by a bullet are likely to cause significantdamage to the victim. The same is true regarding the contact areas 20,21, 22 of the first layer 11 corresponding to and overlapping thecontact areas 20′, 21′, 22′ of the second layer 12. In order to ensureduring manufacture that the complementary contacts of both layers 11 and12 are in proper mutual overlapping relationship, apertures 25 a, 25 band mutually aligned apertures 25 a′, 25 b′ shown in FIG. 3 are formedin the first and second layers 11 and 12 respectively, so that when therespective apertures 25 a, 25 a′ and 25 b, 25 b′ are aligned, the twolayers 11 and 12 are properly registered.

As will be explained with reference to FIG. 5, all the contact pads ofboth layers 11 and 12 make abutting contact with complementary contactsof the hit scoring apparatus, of all of which are mounted on the samefixed jaw thereof. To this end, one or more apertures or gaps 26 areformed in the lower edge of the first layer 11 in overlappingrelationship with the contact pads 20 c′, 21 c′ and 22 c′ on the secondlayer 12. By such means the contact pads 20 c′, 21 c′ and 22 c′ aregenerally aligned with the contact pads 20 c, 21 c, 22 c, 20 c″, 21 c″and 22 c″ on the first layer 11 and all face in the same in the samedirection. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the contact pads 20 c′, 21c′ and 22 c′ on the second layer 12 are clustered together, therebyallowing accessibility to the contacts of the hit scoring apparatusthrough the single aperture 26 in the first layer 11. However, this isnot a requirement and if desired the contact pads on the two layers maybe staggered thereby requiring that multiple apertures or gaps be formedin the first layer to provide accessibility to the contact pads of thesecond layer.

It is clear that a bullet entering the center of the first area 20 ofthe first layer 11 and exiting the first area 20′ of the second layerwill short the contact pads 20 c and 20′ thereby providing a directindication of where the target was hit. However, owing to the mutuallyoverlapping tracks of the first and second layers that are used to routethe annular contact areas 21, 22 and 21′, 22′ this is no longer alwaysthe case when a bullet enters any but the centermost contact areas 20and 20′. Thus, with reference to FIG. 3, consider a bullet that entersthe first layer 11 of the target panel at arrow A and exits the secondlayer 12 at arrow A′. It is clear that the bullet strikes in the regionof the first annular area 21, but it penetrates the conductive track 20a in the first layer 11 that routes the central target area 20 to thecontact pad 20 c. In the arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,347 wherethe second layer 12 is a unitary conductive film, only the contact padsin the front layer allow for discrimination of where the bullet strikesthe target. Thus, if the target panel 10 were employed in such anarrangement, a bullet intersecting a first contact area through theconductive track that routes a second, different contact area to thecontact pad would be registered as having hit the second contact area.In other words, the contact area connected to the contact pad thatsenses the short circuit caused by the bullet defines uniquely where thebullet strikes the target. This requires that the contact areas on thefirst layer of the target panel in U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,347 be spatiallyseparated: the conductive tracks that route the contact areas to thecontact pads cannot be allowed to cross a different contact area. Thislimits the measurement resolution of such a target.

This problem is avoided in the target panel 10 according to theinvention since the bullet penetrates two discrete layers and thereforeproduces two signals, each indicative of which area it strikes in eachlayer. Thus in the above example, the apparent ambiguity of where thebullet penetrates the first layer 11 is resolved by the fact that itpenetrates the second layer 12 in the annular contact area 21′ surroundthe central area 20. This being the case, the bullet cannot have enteredthe first layer in the central area 20 even though it is the contact pad20 c connected to the central area 20 in the first layer 11 that sensesthe short circuit.

Likewise, we can consider a bullet that enters the first layer 11 of thetarget panel at arrow B and exits the second layer 12 at arrow B′. It isclear that this bullet also strikes in the region of the first annulararea 21, but it penetrates the conductive track 20 a′ in the secondlayer 12 that routes the central target area 20′ to the contact pad 20c′. In this case the apparent ambiguity in the second layer 12 isresolved by the first layer 11, which unambiguously indicates the bulletentered the first annual area 21.

Extending this principle, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the two layers11 and 12 of the target panel wherein different areas of the target areidentified using a matrix, allowing identification of where a bulletstrikes the target according to which contacts of the two layers areshorted by the bullet. This is summarized in the following truth table.

TABLE 1 Truth Table Contact Pad ID 20c′ (Dark Grey) 21c′ (Blue) 22c′(Black) 20c (Brown) Aa Ab Ac 21c (Purple) Ba Ab′, Ba, B′a x 22c (Orange)Ca x Ac′, ac′, ac, B′b, Bb, Cb, Cb 20c″ (Grey) Cd 21c″ (Brown) Cd 22c″(Green) Cd

It should be noted that the above Truth Table is only partial andrepresentative. Better discrimination can be achieved by sub-dividingthe target layers further, the only practical limitation being the needto route each thus designated target area to a separate contact pad.This in turn is limited only by the width of the target panel and thejaw in the hit scoring apparatus. It should also be noted that in orderto sub-divide areas even further, it may be desirable or necessary toprovide additional layers having conductive areas that are routed tocorresponding contact pads. However, in the interest of brevity this isnot shown in the figures since the principle of operation is unchanged.

So far we have described only the target panel 10, it being understoodthat it operates in conjunction with a custom hit scoring apparatus thatwill now be described. However, before doing so, we summarize thedistinctive features of the target panel per se as comprising a pair ofspaced part electrically conductive first and second layers separated byat least one electrically non-conductive layer. Each conductive layerhas at least two discrete conductive areas routed by respectiveconductive tracks to separate contact pads on a common edge of thetarget panel. At least one of the conductive tracks in each layerintersects a conductive area in the same layer that is routed by adifferent conductive track to a different contact pad in the same layer.The conductive tracks in each of the conductive layers are arranged suchthat a portion of a conductive track that intersects a contact area inthe first layer does not overlap a portion of a conductive track thatintersects a contact area in the second layer. For example theconductive track identified as 20 a in FIG. 2 and colored purple in FIG.2a , crosses through the discrete areas identified as 21 and 22 in FIG.2 and colored purple and orange, respectively in FIG. 2a . However, theconductive track 20 a in the first layer 11 cannot overlap or intersectany other conductive track in either of the two layers and specificallynot in the second layer 12. This ensures that a possible ambiguity as towhich contact area is penetrated by a bullet that pierces a conductivetrack in one layer is resolved by the certainty as to which contact areais penetrated by the bullet in the other layer.

In saying this, some clarification is required regarding the definitionof the contact areas. For example, Table 1 above may suggest that abullet that shorts contact pads 21 c and 21 c′ is identified by one ofthree different areas identified as Ab′, Ba and B′a. However, this ismerely a question of definition since all these areas are within thefirst annular area in each layer; so we can say with certainty that thebullet hit the target somewhere within the overlapping annular areasshown purple and blue in FIG. 2a . We also know with certainty that thebullet did not penetrate the conductive track 20 a′ in the second layer12 (since this would have been detected by a different contact pad),thus effectively limiting the right quadrant of the annular overlap. Thesame of course is true of the outermost annular areas shown orange andblack, respectively, in FIG. 2a . If further discrimination within theseareas is required, this could be done by sub-dividing the areas intomutually separated areas each routed to a discrete contact pad. Thismight also require use of an auxiliary conductive layer as noted above.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 5 to 8 showing perspective views of aclamping device 30 of a hit-scoring apparatus according to the inventioncomprising a fixed jaw 31 supporting on a rear surface 32 thereof aplurality of first contacts 33 and second contacts 34. The clampingdevice 30 further includes a movable jaw 35 that is mounted on a pin 36projecting from the rear surface 32 of the fixed jaw 31 and is biasedinto an open position as shown in FIG. 5 by a coil spring 37. Themovable jaw 35 is operated by a handle 38 in manner known per se. Thefixed jaw 31 is attached to a mounting plate 39 by means of which theclamping device 30 may be supported on a suitable support surface. Themounting plate 39 also prevents rotation of the movable jaw 35 about thepin 36, thereby ensuring that the two jaws mate properly when closed.Proper registration between the two jaws is ensured by means of lugs 40,40′ projecting on opposite sides of the fixed jaw 31 which engagecomplementary apertures 41, 41′ in the movable jaw 35. The pairs of lugsand apertures {40, 41} and {40′, 41′} are spatially aligned with therespective apertures {25 a, 25 a′} and {25 b, 25 b′} of the target panel30 so that when the target panel 30 is clamped between the two jaws 31and 35, the contact pads in the target panel make good electricalcontact with the respective contacts 33, 34 on the fixed jaw 31.

Each of the jaws 31 and 35 may consist of three sections: a centralsection and two lateral sections inclined with respect to the centralsection at an obtuse angle of about 160°. This requires that the targetpanel be foldable about vertical creases or that the act of closing thejaws of the clamping device 30 induce the required folding, whichincreases the rigidity of the target panel. This is important because ifsteps are not taken to support the rear second layer 12 of the targetpanel 10, a bullet that penetrates the front first layer 11 may simplypush the rear second layer 12 away from the first layer 11, withoutactually penetrating it. Were this to occur, the bullet would not createthe required short-circuit between the two layers by means of whichpenetration is detected. Nevertheless, it will be appreciated that therequired support of the rear second layer 12 may be achieved by othermeans, such as by mounting a rigid layer behind the second layer 12 orclamping a rigid or semi-rigid panel behind the target panel 10.

The fixed jaw 31 has a generally hollow housing containing one or morecircuit boards 45 (shown in FIG. 7) to which proximate contacts 33 or 34are connected and which contain circuitry for sensing a short-circuitbetween one of the first contacts 33 and one of the second contacts 34and producing indication signals indicating which of the first andsecond contacts were shorted. The circuit boards 45 may also contain aprocessor that is responsive to the indication signals for identifyingwhich area of the target panel was hit. Additionally or alternatively,the circuit boards 45 may be connected to an outlet 46, allowingconnection to a remote processor and/or indicator using either a wiredor wireless protocol. They may also be connected to a jack socket 47 forconnecting an external DC supply.

Significantly, no contacts are provided on the movable jaw 35, which maybe formed of an electrically insulating material. This has the benefitthat the only connections from the contacts 33 and 34 to the circuitboards 45 are within the fixed jaw 31 and are thus not subjected tomovement or strain when opening and closing the clamping device 30.

Reference is now made to FIG. 9 showing schematically a detail of acircuit for counting hits and determining possible areas where thetarget panel is hit. Before describing this circuit, it should be notedthat providing multiple contact areas on both layers 11 and 12complicates the detection as compared with the arrangement disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,994,347 where the rear second layer constituted aunitary contact that could therefore serve as a ground plane. In such anarrangement, each contact pad cooperates with the ground plane to act asswitch, whose closure indicates which contact area was penetrated by thebullet.

But this is not the case in the present invention, because we need todetermine which contact area in each layer is hit by the bullet, andtherefore the contacts in neither layer can serve as a unitary groundplane. To this end, the circuit comprises for each pair of contact padsin the two layers e.g. {20 c, 20 c′}, {20 c, 21 c′} and so on adiscriminator comprising a first timer 50 having an input connected tothe corresponding contact pad e.g. 20 c in the first layer and a secondtimer 51 having an input connected to the corresponding contact pad e.g.20 c′, 21 c′ in the second layer. The timers 50, 51 may be constitutedby an IC circuit in the ubiquitous 555 or 556 families The auxiliarycomponents are not shown in FIG. 9 for ease of description and becauseuse of these ICs is known per se. The circuit is powered by a DC powersupply 52 that may be a battery inside the fixed jaw or may be derivedfrom an external power supply coupled to the circuit via the DC jacksocket 47. A normally open electronic switch 53 is connected betweeneach contact pad 20 c′, 21 c′, 22 c′ of the second layer 12 and GND. Inthe figure the switch 53 is shown as a NPN bipolar junction transistoralthough other devices such as opto-couplers may equally well and evenpreferably employed. Thus, with reference to the figure, the base of thetransistor is connected to the respective contact, the emitter isconnected to GND and the collector is connected to the input (Trigger)of the second timer 51.

When a bullet 15 shorts between the two conductive layers 11, 12 of thetarget panel 10 as shown by the chain dotted lines for each channel, DCvoltage is supplied simultaneously to the first timer 50 and to the baseof the transistor 53, which is thus biased into conduction. Again, forease of description, the biasing components are not shown in the figure.The first timer 50 produces a pulse constituting a first indicationsignal, which identifies the contact pad in the first layer shorted bythe bullet. The second timer 51 produces a pulse of shorter durationconstituting a second indication signal, which identifies the contactpad in the second layer shorted by the bullet. The outputs of all thetimers 50, 51 are fed to a processor via a multiplexer neither of whichis shown. The bullet passes through the target panel so fast that theduration of the short circuit is substantially instantaneous. The timers50, 51 are therefore configured to produce pulses of much longerduration in order to allow the processor sufficient time to scan all ofthe timers and determine which pair of timers is active. This in turnallows the processor to access a read-only memory in which the TruthTable is stored and thereby determine which contact areas are shorted bythe bullet. The processor may, of course, be a programmable device thatis programmed to compute a cumulative count of hits and to show for eachone where the target was hit. The processor, its associate memory andother circuitry may be mounted on the circuit board 45 shown in FIG. 7or it may be coupled thereto via the outlet 46.

For the sake of completeness, it will also be appreciated that theresults of the processor may be output in various ways. For example,they can be shown graphically on a display device coupled to theprocessor. Alternatively, a dummy target can be coupled to the processorand can have in discrete areas of the target different colored LEDs thatare arranged to illuminate and provide a visual record. The cumulativehit count can be displayed on the display device or on a separatededicated counter.

1. A target panel comprising a pair of spaced-apart, electricallyconductive first and second layers, separated by at least oneelectrically non-conductive layer, wherein each of the first and secondconductive layers has at least two discrete conductive areas routed byrespective conductive tracks to separate contact pads on a common edgeof the target panel, at least one of said conductive tracks in eachlayer intersecting a conductive area in said layer that is routed by adifferent conductive track to a different contact pad in said layer andwherein the conductive tracks in each of the conductive layers arearranged such that a portion of a conductive track that intersects acontact area in the first layer does not overlap a portion of aconductive track that intersects a contact area in the second layer. 2.The target panel of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second layersis provided with a registration aperture for engaging respective lugs ofa hit-scoring apparatus.
 3. The target panel of claim 1, comprising atleast one additional conductive layer intermediate the first and secondlayers and insulated therefrom and having contact areas connected torespective contact pads for sub-dividing contact areas in the first andsecond layers and providing finer resolution discrimination.
 4. Thetarget panel of claim 2, wherein each of the conductive areas in each ofthe first layer and second layer are electrically insulated from eachother and are each connected to a corresponding electrical contacts on afirst jaw included in the hit scoring apparatus.
 5. The target panel ofclaim 1, wherein each of the first and second layers further comprise atleast two tracks forming a pattern corresponding to critical anatomicalfeature connected with a corresponding contact pad, the at least twotracks pattern in the first layer overlapping the pattern in the secondlayer.
 6. The target panel of claim 4, wherein the hit-scoring apparatuscomprises: a target holder having a body constituting a fixed first jawand a movable second jaw of a clamping device, said first jaw and saidsecond jaw being electrically insulated from one another, a closuremechanism for imparting to said second jaw a substantially linearmovement relative to the first jaw; and the target panel of claim 1,capable of being clamped between said first and second jaws, wherein: a.the first jaw supports on a rear surface thereof a plurality of firstand second electrical contacts, at least one of which first electricalcontacts is adapted make contact with at least one respective contactpad of the electrically conductive first layer and at least two of whichsecond electrical contacts are adapted make contact with respectivecontact pad of the electrically conductive second layer through one ormore respective apertures or gaps formed in the first layer; b. each ofthe first electrical contacts is connectable to a source of firstpolarity DC voltage, each of the second electrical contacts isconnectable to a source of opposite second polarity DC voltage via arespective normally open switch that is adapted to close in response toa bullet electrically coupling the first layer and the second layerthereby applying said first polarity DC voltage to a respective switchcoupled to the second electrical contact; c. a respective firstindicator is coupled to each of the first electrical contacts and isresponsive to the switch closing for producing a first signal indicativeof an area in the first layer hit by the bullet; d. a respective secondindicator is coupled to each switch and is responsive to the switchclosing for producing a second signal indicative of an area in thesecond layer hit by the bullet; and e. said hit-scoring apparatus isadapted for coupling to each of the first indicators and to each of thesecond indicators and is responsive to the respective first and secondsignals for determining an area of the target that is commonly connectedto the respective first and second contacts.
 7. A method ofdiscriminating among a target panel sub-areas, comprising: (a) Providingthe hit-scoring apparatus, comprising: i) a target holder having a bodycomprised of a fixed first jaw and a movable second jaw of a clampingdevice, said first jaw and said second jaw being electrically insulatedfrom one another, a closure mechanism for imparting said second jaw witha substantially linear movement relative to the first jaw; and ii) atarget panel comprising a pair of spaced-apart, electrically conductivefirst and second layers, the first layer configured to face a shooter,separated by at least one electrically non-conductive layer, whereineach of the first and second conductive layers has at least two discreteconductive areas routed by respective conductive tracks to separatecontact pads on a common edge of the target panel, at least one of saidconductive tracks in each layer intersecting a conductive area in saidlayer that is routed by a different conductive track to a differentcontact pad in said layer and wherein the conductive tracks in each ofthe conductive layers are arranged such that a portion of a conductivetrack that intersects a contact area in the first layer does not overlapa portion of a conductive track that intersects a contact area in thesecond layer wherein: (1) the first jaw supports a plurality of firstand a plurality of second electrical contacts on a rear surface thereof,whereby each first electrical contact is adapted make contact with atleast one corresponding area sub-division of the electrically conductivefirst layer; (2) each second electrical contacts are adapted makecontact with corresponding area sub-division of the electricallyconductive second layer through one or more respective apertures or gapsformed in the first layer; (3) each area sub-division on theelectrically conductive first layer, forms a pair with a correspondingsub-division area on the electrically conductive second layer, each pairof corresponding area sub-divisions associated with a discriminator; (4)each of the first electrical contacts is connectable to a source offirst polarity DC voltage; (5) each of the second electrical contacts isconnectable to a source of opposite second polarity DC voltage via arespective normally open switch adapted to close in response to a bulletelectrically coupling the first layer and the second layer of the targetpanel, thereby applying said first polarity DC voltage to the respectiveswitch coupled to the second electrical contact; iii) a respective firstindicator is coupled to each of the first electrical contacts and isresponsive to the switch closing for producing a first signal indicativeof an area in the first layer hit by the bullet; iv) a respective secondindicator is coupled to each switch and is responsive to the switchclosing for producing a second signal indicative of an area in thesecond layer hit by the bullet; and v) said hit-scoring apparatus isadapted for coupling to each of the first indicators and to each of thesecond indicators and is responsive to the respective first and secondsignals for determining an area of the target that is commonly connectedto the respective first and second contacts; (b) using the first and thesecond jaws, clamping the target panel between the first and the secondjaws; (c) upon the bullet hitting any conductive area on the firstlayer, scanning the plurality of discriminators; and (d) using thediscriminators, determining the area sub-division on the first panelcorresponding to the bullet hit.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein eachdiscriminator comprises a first timer having an input connected to thecorresponding area sub-division in the electrically conductive firstlayer and a second timer having an input connected to the correspondingarea sub-division in the electrically conductive second layer, thetimers configured to produce pulses of much longer duration uponactivation, the method further comprising: (a) scanning alldiscriminators; and (b) determining the discriminator comprising theactive timers.
 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising assigning acolor to each conductive area in each of the first and second layers ofthe target panel.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprisingidentifying the area hit by the bullet using a matrix set forth intable
 1. 11. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing theshooter with feedback on the entry and/or exit areas in the targetpanel.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the feedback comprises atleast one of: graphically on a display device coupled to the hit scoringapparatus, and a dummy target coupled to the hit scoring apparatus,having discrete areas of the dummy target with different colored LEDsarranged to illuminate in response to a hit provide visual record. 13.The method of claim 12, wherein cumulative hit count is displayed on thedisplay device, or on a separate dedicated counter.